THE FANTAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1923, Page 1

THE FANTAIL.

( li y .J. Drummond in “LylL.-hon Tiim-s).

‘'The fantail is one of the must friendly :tlui entertaining small hirds of these parts," Mr tl. F. Chati'ey wrote -from l’okaroro, near Mount Arthur. •Nelson, on June loth. ‘ I.tist spring, when f was working on my claim un the Takakit Hirer, opening out a terrace had lunch there every day. Two fantails decided in huild their nest where I hoiled the hilly. There were hundreds of heller phiees. hut they chose it small branch of a hrnad-Icaf u Unit it yard to the right of where I always sat. On standing up. 1 enuhi reach the place with my hand. All the building operation- were tarried out hy the pied one of the pair, the female. She was much the more triendly of the two. The hhu k one it was a rase of [tied and Mark mat inn attain ami making a union nest, not an unusual proceeding with the fantailsseemed always to he dying about and feeding; it paiil no attention to its mate'.', work. The pied one was very busy gathering cobwebs for lining, small pieces of sticks, lichen, mess and oile r materials. Kvery time she came with something, she anuoiinicd her return with a little twittering song. I

gave her a gentle whistle of cut nuragoment. 'When the frame was finished, and she began to line the inside, she stepped .inside and twisted hersell aionnd the iie-t, twittering all the time.

••The job was finished in about ten days. After the first egg was laid, the Mack nude went occasionally to have a look at them, to see if they were safe. The female lai<! live eggs. fihe immediately sat, ami the made then rnad" himself uselttl. 'relieving her every ten or fifteen minutes. 1 do not know how long it took to hatch the eggs, as 1 was away for some time. When I came hat h there Were live little fantails. almost, ready to tly. - l hree were [lied and two were Mae!.. I here was a faintail's nest on the opposite MJe of t!u i river, four adults, two pied and two black, were very busy there <et lino food. Soon afterwards all were the wing, and I counted fourteen, euual numbers ol pied and black, They .laved about there Mr fpiite a time. During the past two months a pied mil,tail has accompanied me along j-W' about two miles and hte.U at night. It ! don't take notice of her slm Hies m tr, ut of rnv [me and it 1 hold out mv walking stick she -its on the end and sings her subdued song. As far a- 1 [ia\ 0 uh-erve, 1 these eliarming lit He l.irds the pied always is a telltale and the Ivlack a male.